Divination And Theurgy In Neoplatonism

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Divination and Theurgy in Neoplatonism

Crystal Addey
Divination and Theurgy in Neoplatonism Book PDF

Author : Crystal Addey
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2016-05-13
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317148999

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Divination and Theurgy in Neoplatonism by Crystal Addey Pdf

Why did ancient philosophers consult oracles, write about them, and consider them to be an important part of philosophical thought and practice? This book explores the extensive links between oracles and philosophy in Late Antiquity, particularly focusing on the roles of oracles and other forms of divination in third and fourth century CE Neoplatonism. Examining some of the most significant debates between pagan philosophers and Christian intellectuals on the nature of oracles as a central yet contested element of religious tradition, Addey focuses particularly on Porphyry's Philosophy from Oracles and Iamblichus' De Mysteriis - two works which deal extensively with oracles and other forms of divination. This book argues for the significance of divination within Neoplatonism and offers a substantial reassessment of oracles and philosophical works and their relationship to one another. With a broad interdisciplinary approach, encompassing Classics, Ancient Philosophy, Theology, Religious Studies and Ancient History, Addey draws on recent anthropological and religious studies research which has challenged and re-evaluated the relationship between rationality and ritual.

Divination and Human Nature

Peter T. Struck
Divination and Human Nature Book PDF

Author : Peter T. Struck
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2018-10-23
Category : History
ISBN : 9780691183459

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Divination and Human Nature by Peter T. Struck Pdf

Divination and Human Nature casts a new perspective on the rich tradition of ancient divination—the reading of divine signs in oracles, omens, and dreams. Popular attitudes during classical antiquity saw these readings as signs from the gods while modern scholars have treated such beliefs as primitive superstitions. In this book, Peter Struck reveals instead that such phenomena provoked an entirely different accounting from the ancient philosophers. These philosophers produced subtle studies into what was an odd but observable fact—that humans could sometimes have uncanny insights—and their work signifies an early chapter in the cognitive history of intuition. Examining the writings of Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, and the Neoplatonists, Struck demonstrates that they all observed how, setting aside the charlatans and swindlers, some people had premonitions defying the typical bounds of rationality. Given the wide differences among these ancient thinkers, Struck notes that they converged on seeing this surplus insight as an artifact of human nature, projections produced under specific conditions by our physiology. For the philosophers, such unexplained insights invited a speculative search for an alternative and more naturalistic system of cognition. Recovering a lost piece of an ancient tradition, Divination and Human Nature illustrates how philosophers of the classical era interpreted the phenomena of divination as a practice closer to intuition and instinct than magic.

Divination and Knowledge in Greco-Roman Antiquity

Crystal Addey
Divination and Knowledge in Greco Roman Antiquity Book PDF

Author : Crystal Addey
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2021-07-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781315449463

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Divination and Knowledge in Greco-Roman Antiquity by Crystal Addey Pdf

Addressing the close connections between ancient divination and knowledge, this volume offers an interlinked and detailed set of case studies which examine the epistemic value and significance of divination in ancient Greek and Roman cultures. Focusing on diverse types of divination, including oracles, astrology, and the reading of omens and signs in the entrails of sacrificial animals, chance utterances and other earthly and celestial phenomena, this volume reveals that divination was conceived of as a significant path to the attainment of insight and understanding by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It also explores the connections between divination and other branches of knowledge in Greco-Roman antiquity, such as medicine and ethnographic discourse. Drawing on anthropological studies of contemporary divination and exploring a wide range of ancient philosophical, historical, technical and literary evidence, chapters focus on the interconnections and close relationship between divine and human modes of knowledge, in relation to nuanced and subtle formulations of the blending of divine, cosmic and human agency; philosophical approaches towards and uses of divination (particularly within Platonism), including links between divination and time, ethics, and cosmology; and the relationship between divination and cultural discourses focusing on gender. The volume aims to catalyse new questions and approaches relating to these under-investigated areas of ancient Greek and Roman life. which have significant implications for the ways in which we understand and assess ancient Greek and Roman conceptions of epistemic value and variant ways of knowing, ancient philosophy and intellectual culture, lived, daily experience in the ancient world, and religious and ritual traditions. Divination and Knowledge in Greco-Roman Antiquity will be of particular relevance to researchers and students in classics, ancient history, ancient philosophy, religious studies and anthropology who are working on divination, lived religion and intellectual culture, but will also appeal to general readers who are interested in the widespread practice and significance of divination in the ancient world.

Theurgy in Late Antiquity

Ilinca Tanaseanu-Döbler
Theurgy in Late Antiquity Book PDF

Author : Ilinca Tanaseanu-Döbler
Publisher : Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
Page : 329 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2013-05-15
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9783647540207

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Theurgy in Late Antiquity by Ilinca Tanaseanu-Döbler Pdf

Theurgy is commonly taken to denote a complex of rites which are based on the so-called Chaldean Oracles, a collection of oracles in hexameters, which were probably composed during the late 2nd century AD. These rituals are mostly known through Neoplatonic sources, who engage in a passionate debate about their relevance to the salvation of the soul and thus to the philosopher's ultimate goal. Ilinca Tanaseanu-Döbler examines the development of the discourse on theurgy, attempting to reconstruct what was understood as theurgic ritual in the late antique sources. Withstanding the temptation to impose a unity on the disparate sources which span several centuries, she thus goes beyond the picture of a coherent, extra-philosophical tradition drawn by the Neoplatonists to sketch the variations in the rituals subsumed under 'theurgy' and their function, and shows how every author constructs his own 'theurgy'. This perspective leads to consider theurgy as an example of an 'artificial' ritual tradition, composed from already existing elements to create something claimed as sui generis. Theurgy offers the great opportunity to look at such a tradition from its beginning up to its end and to analyse the mechanisms of inventing and reinventing such a ritual tradition in process.

The Neoplatonic Socrates

Danielle A. Layne,Harold Tarrant
The Neoplatonic Socrates Book PDF

Author : Danielle A. Layne,Harold Tarrant
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
Page : 263 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2014-07-14
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780812210002

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The Neoplatonic Socrates by Danielle A. Layne,Harold Tarrant Pdf

Today the name Socrates invokes a powerful idealization of wisdom and nobility that would surprise many of his contemporaries, who excoriated the philosopher for corrupting youth. The problem of who Socrates "really" was—the true history of his activities and beliefs—has long been thought insoluble, and most recent Socratic studies have instead focused on reconstructing his legacy and tracing his ideas through other philosophical traditions. But this scholarship has neglected to examine closely a period of philosophy that has much to reveal about what Socrates stood for and how he taught: the Neoplatonic tradition of the first six centuries C.E., which at times decried or denied his importance yet relied on his methods. In The Neoplatonic Socrates, leading scholars in classics and philosophy address this gap by examining Neoplatonic attitudes toward the Socratic method, Socratic love, Socrates's divine mission and moral example, and the much-debated issue of moral rectitude. Collectively, they demonstrate the importance of Socrates for the majority of Neoplatonists, a point that has often been questioned owing to the comparative neglect of surviving commentaries on the Alcibiades, Gorgias, Phaedo, and Phaedrus, in favor of dialogues dealing explicitly with metaphysical issues. Supplemented with a contextualizing introduction and a substantial appendix detailing where evidence for Socrates can be found in the extant literature, The Neoplatonic Socrates makes a clear case for the significant place Socrates held in the education and philosophy of late antiquity. Contributors: Crystal Addey, James M. Ambury, John F. Finamore, Michael Griffin, Marilynn Lawrence, Danielle A. Layne, Christina-Panagiota Manolea, François Renaud, Geert Roskam, Harold Tarrant.

Theurgy: Theory and Practice

P. D. Newman
Theurgy Theory and Practice Book PDF

Author : P. D. Newman
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 172 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2023-12-05
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781644118375

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Theurgy: Theory and Practice by P. D. Newman Pdf

Connects the magical practice of theurgy to the time of Homer • Explores the many theurgic themes and events in the Odyssey and the Iliad • Analyzes the writings of Neoplatonists Porphyry and Proclus, showing how both describe the technical ritual praxis of theurgy in Homeric terms • Examines the methods of telestikē, a form of theurgic statue animation and technique to divinize the soul, and how theurgy is akin to shamanic soul flight First defined by the second century Chaldean Oracles, theurgy is an ancient magic practice whereby practitioners divinized the soul and achieved mystical union with a deity, the Demiurge, or the One. In this detailed study, P. D. Newman pushes the roots of theurgy all the way back before the time of Homer. He shows how the Chaldean Oracles were not only written in Homeric Greek but also in dactylic hexameter, the same meter as the epics of Homer. Linking the Greek shamanic practices of the late Archaic period with the theurgic rites of late antiquity, the author explains how both anabasis, soul ascent, and katabasis, soul descent, can be considered varieties of shamanic soul flight and how these practices existed in ancient Greek culture prior to the influx of shamanic influence from Thrace and the Hyperborean North. The author explores the many theurgic themes and symbolic events in the Odyssey and the Iliad, including the famous journey of Odysseus to Hades and the incident of the funeral pyre of Patroclus. He presents a close analysis of On the Cave of the Nymphs, Porphyry’s commentary on Homer’s Odyssey, as well as a detailed look at Proclus’s symbolic reading of Homer’s Iliad, showing how both of these Neoplatonists describe the philosophical theory and the technical ritual praxis of theurgy. Using the Chaldean Oracles as a case study, Newman examines in detail the methods of telestikē, a form of theurgic statue animation, linking this practice to ancient Egyptian and Greek traditions as well as theurgic techniques to divinize the soul. Revealing how the theurgic arts are far older than the second century, Newman’s study not only examines the philosophical theory of theurgy but also the actual ritual practices of the theurgists, as described in their own words.

Theurgy and the Soul

Gregory Shaw
Theurgy and the Soul Book PDF

Author : Gregory Shaw
Publisher : Angelico Press / Sophia Perennis
Page : 350 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2014-09-12
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 1621380726

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Theurgy and the Soul by Gregory Shaw Pdf

Iamblichus was once considered one of the great philosophers. The Emperor Julian followed Iamblichus's teachings to guide the restoration of traditional pagan cults in his campaign against Christianity. Although Julian was unsuccessful, Iamblichus's ideas persisted well into the Middle Ages and beyond. His vision of a hierarchical cosmos united by divine ritual became the dominant worldview for the entire medieval world. Even Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that he expected a reading of Iamblichus to cause a "revival in the churches." But modern scholars have dismissed him, seeing theurgy as ritual magic or "manipulation of the gods." Shaw, however, shows that theurgy was a subtle and intellectually sophisticated attempt to apply Platonic and Pythagorean teachings to the full expression of human existence in the material world.

Dreams, Virtue and Divine Knowledge in Early Christian Egypt

Bronwen Neil,Doru Costache,Kevin Wagner
Dreams Virtue and Divine Knowledge in Early Christian Egypt Book PDF

Author : Bronwen Neil,Doru Costache,Kevin Wagner
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2019-04-25
Category : History
ISBN : 9781108481182

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Dreams, Virtue and Divine Knowledge in Early Christian Egypt by Bronwen Neil,Doru Costache,Kevin Wagner Pdf

Explores the significance of dreams in early Christian Egypt, using sources from Philo and Origen to Athanasius and early monks.

The Neoplatonic Imagination with Angela Voss

Angela Voss,Wise Studies
The Neoplatonic Imagination with Angela Voss Book PDF

Author : Angela Voss,Wise Studies
Publisher : Wise Studies
Page : 89 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2020-02-10
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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The Neoplatonic Imagination with Angela Voss by Angela Voss,Wise Studies Pdf

These three lectures are an introduction to one of the most important schools of philosophy in the ancient world, the followers of Plato (c.348-428 BCE) who are now called the Neoplatonists. Writing from roughly 100 to 500 CE, these philosophers offered interpretations of Plato’s ideas from varying perspectives but always focussing on the nature of the human soul, and its relationship with the cosmos and with the One, the supreme, divine ground of being which gives rise to all that is. Each lecture is devoted to a different personality and viewpoint – Plotinus’ contemplative approach, Iamblichus’ ritual approach, and the visionary mysticism of the legendary Hermes Trismegistus. These three mystical ‘ways’ of attaining divine knowledge—which are ultimately one—are important because they provide the raw material as it were for the underlying philosophy of the Western esoteric traditions. These hidden and initiatory undercurrents to exoteric monotheism have given rise to the practices of alchemy, astrology, Kabbalah and natural magic which were developed in the Renaissance period where they enjoyed an ambivalent relationship with Christianity. The translation into Latin of many hitherto unavailable Greek sources instigated a flowering of culture, a renewal of religious experience and a new emphasis on working with the divinity within nature and cosmos in practical ways to achieve gnosis, or spiritual knowledge. Session 1 – Plotinus and the Neoplatonic Cosmos In this lecture we will introduce the most well-known of neoplatonists, Plotinus. His Enneads are a manifesto for a contemplative yet intensely intellectual path to transcendence and union with the divine. Plotinus was also one of the first philosophers to exalt the power of the imagination to its role of mediator between heaven and earth. Session 2 – Iamblichus and Theurgy In contrast, Iamblichus’ path was one of ritual practice, and he developed the work of ‘theurgy’ or ‘divine action’ involving contacting the spiritual presences in nature and cosmos in order to raise the consciousness of the soul to remember its true identity. Iamblichus’ use of symbolic objects and incantations as mirrors of divine ideas is based on the theory of sympathy and correspondence which is a feature of all Western esoteric traditions. Session 3 – Hermes Trismegistus Hermes was a mythical figure under whose name a body of texts was composed in the same period as our previous two philosophers. These texts are examples of initiatic practices combining Egyptian and Greek elements, and were to have great influence on the Renaissance ideal of human autonomy, as well as on the power of art to convey symbolic insight into the human condition. ancient greek philosophers ancient philosophers hermetic corpus platonic philosophy religious philosophy books hermetic philosophy esotericism alchemy mysticism hermetica kybalion lost wisdom pharaohs unified consciousness

Sufism in Ottoman Damascus

Nikola Pantić
Sufism in Ottoman Damascus Book PDF

Author : Nikola Pantić
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2023-09-29
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781000962611

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Sufism in Ottoman Damascus by Nikola Pantić Pdf

Sufism in Ottoman Damascus analyzes thaumaturgical beliefs and practices prevalent among Muslims in eighteenth-century Ottoman Syria. The study focuses on historical beliefs in baraka, which religious authorities often interpreted as Allah's grace, and the alleged Sufi-ulamaic role in distributing it to Ottoman subjects. This book highlights considerable overlaps between Sufis and ʿulamāʾ with state appointments in early modern Province of Damascus, arguing for the possibility of sociologically defining a Muslim priestly sodality, a group of religious authorities and wonder-workers responsible for Sunni orthodoxy in the Ottoman Empire. The Sufi-ʿulamāʾ were integral to Ottoman networks of the holy, networks of grace that comprised of hallowed individuals, places, and natural objects. Sufism in Ottoman Damascus sheds new light on the appropriate scholarly approach to historical studies of Sufism in the Ottoman Empire, revising its position in official early modern versions of Ottoman Sunnism. This book further re-approaches early modern Sunni beliefs in wonders and wonder-working, as well as the relationship between religion, thaumaturgy, and magic in Ottoman Sunni Islam, historical themes comparable to other religions and other parts of the world.

Neoplatonic Demons and Angels

Luc Brisson,Seamus O'Neill,Andrei Timotin
Neoplatonic Demons and Angels Book PDF

Author : Luc Brisson,Seamus O'Neill,Andrei Timotin
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2018-07-10
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9789004374980

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Neoplatonic Demons and Angels by Luc Brisson,Seamus O'Neill,Andrei Timotin Pdf

Neoplatonic Demons and Angels is a collection of studies which examine the place reserved for angels and demons not only by the main Neoplatonic philosophers, but also in Gnosticism, the Chaldaean Oracles and Christian Neoplatonism.

Prophets, Prophecy, and Oracles in the Roman Empire

Leslie Kelly
Prophets Prophecy and Oracles in the Roman Empire Book PDF

Author : Leslie Kelly
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 134 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2017-12-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9781351243513

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Prophets, Prophecy, and Oracles in the Roman Empire by Leslie Kelly Pdf

This book surveys the uses and function of prophecy, prophets, and oracles among Jews, Christians, and pagans in the first three centuries of the Roman Empire and explores how prophecy and prophetic texts functioned as a common language that enabled religious discourse to develop between these groups. It shows that each of these cultures believed that it was in prophetic texts and prophetic utterances that they could find the surest proof of their religious beliefs and a strong confirmation of their group identity.

Liturgy, Theurgy, and Active Participation

Kjetil Kringlebotten
Liturgy Theurgy and Active Participation Book PDF

Author : Kjetil Kringlebotten
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 220 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2023-09-08
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781666771275

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Liturgy, Theurgy, and Active Participation by Kjetil Kringlebotten Pdf

Providing a metaphysical grounding for liturgical participation, this book argues that “active participation” in the liturgy must be understood principally as our participation in God’s act, particularly in the act of Christ, and only secondarily as our ritual involvement. Utilizing Neoplatonist philosophy, Kjetil Kringlebotten proposes that this should be understood in terms of theurgy, which is the human participation in divine action, which finds its consummation in the incarnation of Christ. Without the incarnation all acts will remain extrinsic and imposed but acts can become real and intrinsic precisely because the incarnation makes possible true union with the divine, a metaphysical union-in-distinction, without confusion, because this union is not extrinsic. Through union with Christ, as the one common focus of the divine-human relation, we can have true union with God and may offer true worship. In order to make sense of active participation, then, we need to understand theology in theurgic terms, where theurgy is understood not as a mechanical “coercion” of God but as a participation in His act, in creation and through Christ as the true theurgist, the “master theurgist,” Whose work transforms our act and the liturgy.

A Companion to Religion in Late Antiquity

Josef Lössl,Nicholas J. Baker-Brian
A Companion to Religion in Late Antiquity Book PDF

Author : Josef Lössl,Nicholas J. Baker-Brian
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 711 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2018-05-22
Category : History
ISBN : 9781118968109

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A Companion to Religion in Late Antiquity by Josef Lössl,Nicholas J. Baker-Brian Pdf

A comprehensive review of the development, geographic spread, and cultural influence of religion in Late Antiquity A Companion to Religion in Late Antiquity offers an authoritative and comprehensive survey of religion in Late Antiquity. This historical era spanned from the second century to the eighth century of the Common Era. With contributions from leading scholars in the field, the Companion explores the evolution and development of religion and the role various religions played in the cultural, political, and social transformations of the late antique period. The authors examine the theories and methods used in the study of religion during this period, consider the most notable historical developments, and reveal how religions spread geographically. The authors also review the major religious traditions that emerged in Late Antiquity and include reflections on the interaction of these religions within their particular societies and cultures. This important Companion: Brings together in one volume the work of a notable team of international scholars Explores the principal geographical divisions of the late antique world Offers a deep examination of the predominant religions of Late Antiquity Examines established views in the scholarly assessment of the religions of Late Antiquity Includes information on the current trends in late-antique scholarship on religion Written for scholars and students of religion, A Companion to Religion in Late Antiquity offers a comprehensive survey of religion and the influence religion played in the culture, politics, and social change during the late antique period.

Prophets and Prophecy in the Late Antique Near East

Jae Hee Han
Prophets and Prophecy in the Late Antique Near East Book PDF

Author : Jae Hee Han
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 301 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2023-09-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781009297745

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Prophets and Prophecy in the Late Antique Near East by Jae Hee Han Pdf

Offers an interdisciplinary account of prophecy as a topic of discourse among various late antique Near Eastern communities. Against assumptions that prophecy ceased in the past, this book argues that it remained a topic of discourse among various Near Eastern communities.